Municipal golf courses in the fiscal rough

In the recession, people played less and spent less. Golf courses, like so many other businesses, took a hit. That included courses owned by local governments. Lynnwood has been struggling for months to decide the future of its course. As of this writing, officials still haven't sorted it out. Where are the publicly owned golf courses, and how's business?

Five golf courses in Snohomish County are owned by local governments, four by cities and one by the county. Everett and county courses are operated under contracts with private vendors. Lynnwood and Marysville run their own operations. Lynnwood is considering outsourcing operations.

All the publicly owned courses in the county have 18 holes. Staffing, especially part-timers, varies by season. The busy season starts soon. Most saw rounds played go up in 2012 but have struggled in recent years.

The most popular course in terms of annual rounds played is Legion Memorial in north Everett.

The county golf course budget looks different than the cities' because of the contract and various taxes and fees that don't apply at the city level, county parks director Tom Teigen said.Golf courses all over are struggling, he said. "It's a tough go."

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